After spending an entire month visiting the Mighty Five national parks in Utah I can confidently say that Bryce Canyon National Park was the biggest surprise! Located at high elevation in the Southern Utah desert, Bryce Canyon National Park is a wonderland of rocks. Formerly known as the Temple of the Gods, this national park protects a vast expanse of colorful pink, orange, and white rock spires tucked away in a canyon. In this blog we’re sharing the ultimate Bryce Canyon National Park 2 day itinerary. We also share everything you need to know before visiting Bryce Canyon, including the best times of year to go, what to pack, and where to stay.

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The ultimate Bryce Canyon National Park 2 day itinerary

Planning your trip to Bryce Canyon: everything you need to know

Planning a national park vacation can feel overwhelming! We’re breaking down the basics you need to know for planning a trip to Bryce Canyon National Park. Below we share our thoughts on how  much time to spend in Bryce Canyon National Park, the best times of year to visit, how to get there, where to stay, and what to pack for your trip.

How much time do you need in Bryce Canyon National Park?

At nearly 36,000 acres, Bryce Canyon is actually a relatively small national park! The main road through the park is just 18 miles, making it possible to explore many of the park’s highlights in just 1-2 days. 

For the casual explorer and hiker I would recommend spending 2 days in Bryce Canyon. This gives you enough time to explore at a relaxed pace, which still fitting in some longer hikes through the iconic hoodoos. However, if you don’t have that much time, you can easily hit the highlights in less than one day. Can’t miss activities in Bryce Canyon include the Southern Scenic Drive, watching the sunrise from Sunset point and visiting the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, and hiking the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail 

How do I get to Bryce Canyon?

Las Vegas (LAS) and Salt Lake City (SLC) are the two closest airports to Bryce Canyon National Park, and would be my top recommendations for getting to Bryce Canyon by plane. Though, they are still about a 4 hour drive to the park. If you plan to fly, I recommend flying into Las Vegas or Salt Lake City on a Friday afternoon and making the 4 hour drive to the Bryce Canyon area that same evening. That means you’ll be ready to hit the ground running the next morning! There are several lodging options located just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park (including camping and hotels). See below for more details on lodging options near Bryce Canyon.

In my opinion, Bryce Canyon is best combined with a visit to some of the other Mighty Five national parks in Utah. It can easily be combined with a trip to Zion National Park or Capitol Reef. You can find more Mighty Five itineraries here. This is a great USA road trip destination! We visited while traveling in our truck camper for a month in southern Utah.

What’s the best time of year to visit Bryce Canyon?

The best time of year to visit Bryce Canyon depends on your travel style and preferences. My personal preference is winter, which I explain below! However, the other seasons also bring unique joys (and challenges) to consider. To help you plan your trip, see below for some notes on what to expect during different times of year.  

Winter Bryce Canyon in winter

I personally think winter is the best time of year to visit Bryce Canyon. First and foremost, you’ll encounter very few crowds. In fact, January and February are by far the least visited times of year in Bryce Canyon, with visitation rates around 35,000 people per month. Winter is an especially good time to go to Bryce if you want to visit the other Mighty Five national parks and you DON’T want to deal with timed entry tickets or shuttles. Looking for more Mighty Five itineraries? Click here!

Another perk of visiting in winter is the possibility of snow. If you’re lucky enough to get a dusting of snow then the national park’s hoodoos will look extra beautiful! However, heavy winter storms can also make for dangerous and inaccessible conditions. Note that December – February bring the lowest average temperatures of the year, with highs in the 30’s. 

Lastly, winter visitors to the park get to benefit from off-season hotel pricing, which means a lot more availability, and more affordable room rates! We also found abundant boondocking options near the park, and didn’t have to compete with others for camp spots. If you like to plan your trips at the last minute then this is a great time to travel. 

Visiting Bryce Canyon in summer

From a weather perspective, summer is a great time to visit Bryce. Because Bryce Canyon National Park is located at 8,000-9,000 feet in elevation summer temperatures are moderate and pleasant. Average highs in summer range from the 70-80s. The record high temperature in the park was 98 degrees fahrenheit, as of writing this in winter 2025. However, you should know that July and August are also considered the rainy season. Visitors should be prepared for brief but heavy rains, as well as dangerous lightning. 

The other downside of visiting in summer is that summer visitors should expect significant crowds when visiting Bryce Canyon National Park. That can mean crowded trails, long waits to enter the park, and scarce parking. Bryce Canyon visitation rates start to skyrocket in April. In fact, from May – September the national park gets more than 300,000 visitors per month. That’s a LOT of people for a relatively small national park, especially when compared with winter and late fall visitation numbers. Note that September is actually the busiest time to visit Bryce Canyon.

Visiting Bryce Canyon in spring and fall

Spring and fall can be great months for visiting the park! During shoulder season you’ll enjoy more moderate crowds. Summer visitation rates decline significantly from October into November and December. Similarly, March sees relatively low visitation rates, and things start to pick up in April. However, visitors should be prepared for variable weather in spring and fall. Typical high temperatures range from the 40’s to the 60’s, but October, March, and April sometimes bring heavy snow in the park, and nighttime temperatures are generally below freezing. 

Where should I stay when visiting Bryce Canyon National Park?

When we visited Bryce Canyon National Park we stayed at Clear Sky Resorts, which we highly recommend. It is a 15 minute drive from the park. This property has dozens of geodesic domes with massive windows where you can stargaze from your bed. It’s an incredibly unique lodging experience near Bryce Canyon! 

What did we like about Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon? 

Clear Sky is located in a designated Dark Sky zone, meaning that you can see thousands of stars due to the intentional lack of light pollution. Stargazing from our bed (and seeing shooting stars!) was a unique highlight of our stay. Clear Sky also has an on-site restaurant, cafe, and milkshake bar; they also offer free s’mores roasting at their nightly bon fires. 

What should I pack for visiting Bryce Canyon?

See below for some essential items to pack for a visit to Bryce Canyon National Park.

• America the Beautiful pass – If you plan to visit more than a couple national parks a year (usually $30 per entry), then I highly recommend purchasing the America the Beautiful park pass. The pass is $80 for the entire year and offers unlimited entry to all national parks and national monuments! 
• Large water bottle – Bryce Canyon only has drinking fountains at some trailheads. You are responsible for packing in all of your own water, especially on longer hikes. 
• Sun protection – Bryce Canyon is incredibly sunny and bright year round (even in winter)! Visitors should always pack sunscreen, sunglasses, and clothing that protects your skin from sunburn. One of our hot weather staples is REI’s Sahara Sun Hoodie (for women and men). We love these because they offer UPF 50+ sun protection, and they’re a good price point. 
• Hiking boots with good traction – The sandstone in this park can feel slick, meaning your shoes should have good traction for your safety. These hiking boots have been my go-to for over 4 years!

Extra essentials to pack for winter in Bryce Canyon

• Trail Crampons (in winter) – Trail crampons (also called ‘microspikes’) are placed over your shoes so that they grip the icy trails when you’re walking, preventing slips and falls.
• Hand warmers (in winter) – Bryce Canyon can get COLD! I love these rechargeable hand warmers from Zippo.

Bryce Canyon National Park 2 day Itinerary

We want to make planning your trip to Bryce Canyon easy! Below you will find the ultimate Bryce Canyon National Park 2 day Itinerary. It includes all the best trails and photo spots in Bryce, along with some less frequently visited ‘hidden gems.’

Don’t have two full days to enjoy Bryce Canyon? While this is a 2-day itinerary, if you only have one day to explore Bryce Canyon I recommend using our “day 1 itinerary” below as your guide. This will allow you to see some of the National Parks biggest highlights. However, if you can I recommend adding on the scenic drive to Rainbow Point, which is included in the Day 2 itinerary.

If you have more time to spare, following our full two day itinerary for Bryce Canyon lets you explore at a more relaxed pace, while seeing the best of what this unique national park has to offer. This includes some spots in Bryce that only a few people visit! 

Day 1 itinerary for Bryce Canyon: can’t miss activities in the national park

Your first day in Bryce Canyon National Park will start at Sunset Point in Bryce Canyon. Sunset Point is open year round. It is close to the main entrance and has a large parking lot (although it can fill up quickly!). Several trails leave directly from this area. Once you’ve parked, you won’t have to drive elsewhere in the park for the rest of the day! Our day 1 itinerary is centered around the parking lot.

Watch sunrise at Sunset Point

To kick off your first day of adventure, arrive at Bryce Canyon early to watch the sunrise at Sunset Point. This iconic location is part of the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, which is a can’t miss destination in the park. According to the park service, this area is “ home to the greatest concentration of irregular rock spires (called “hoodoos”) found anywhere on Earth.” It’s truly a unique and impressive sight!

While the parking lot is relatively large, this is a popular sunrise spot, so plan to get there a little early to beat the crowd. Once you have parked you will walk about 100 yards to the Sunset Point overlook. About 15 minutes before sunrise the orange rock spires look like they are glowing! It’s beautiful! This trail is relatively flat and paved, and there are restrooms available here.

Sunrise and sunset are the best times of day for photography in Bryce Canyon National Park. The lighting is soft and beautiful! The soft lighting of sunrise is short, though! Sunset will give you significantly more time to capture images in the fading light. We enjoyed watching both sunrise and sunset from Sunset Point. We also saw the sunset from Rainbow Point, which is a beautiful and less crowded spot.

Hike the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail 

The Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail was our FAVORITE hike in Bryce Canyon National Park! This trail is very popular, though, so if you want it to yourself I recommend starting ealy (right after sunrise is great!). Depending what route you take (more details below), you’ll pass through the iconic Wall Street or Navajo Loop Trail switchbacks. Both are popular Instagram photo spots, and unique sections of trail. 

There are two ways to do this hike. The Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail will bring you into the heart of Bryce Canyon. Along this 3.0 mile trail (round trip), you’ll pass by massive hoodoos, and walk through several tunnels carved directly into the rock spires. If you have some extra energy, I’d also recommend hiking the “Figure Eight Trail.” The Figure Eight Trail is a continuation of the Navajo Loop Trail, so you’ll hike 6.3 miles (total) instead of just 3.0 miles. It adds on a loop around the Peekaboo Loop Trail. We did the longer version of the hike and didn’t see anyone else on the Peekaboo Loop! If you visit in winter I highly recommend packing Trail Crampons, as two short sections of the loop were extremely icy.

Travel tip: you won’t have to move your car and re-park for this hike, since this trail leaves directly from Sunset Point.

Enjoy sunset along the Rim Trail

If you still have energy left, end your day by enjoying the sunset as you stroll along the Rim Trail! The Rim Trail to Inspiration Point offers beautiful, sweeping vistas of the canyon below. Like the hikes above, you will leave directly from Sunset Point. You will see similar views as you saw for sunrise at Sunset Point, but walking along the Rim Trail allows you to see the massive hoodoos and spires below from varying vantage points!

Day 2 itinerary for Bryce Canyon: hidden gems in the national park

Today you’re going to be visiting some of the less popular trails and locations in Bryce Canyon! You already got up for sunrise yesterday, so enjoy a later start to your day on your second day in the national park. Just don’t want too long to enter the park, especially in summer– parking spots fill up quickly! 

Check out the Visitors Center

If you have additional time in the morning and aren’t too worried about parking I recommend checking out the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center on your way into the park! The Bryce Canyon Visitors Center opens at 8 am every single day except for Christmas, but closing times vary throughout the year. You’ll find information about the park, and there is usually a ranger on staff who can give you extra recommendations for places to visit and hike in the park, and can also inform you of seasonal trail or road closures. 

Hike the Fairyland Loop Trail

Start your adventure with an 8 mile hike along the Fairyland loop. The park service describes this trail as “quiet,” and you probably won’t see too many other people. This hike brings you along the rim and deep into the canyon, where you’ll see some especially colorful rock formations and spires! This was one of Gwyn’s favorite hikes in the national park. This trail is best done counter-clockwise, and features nearly 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Take things slow, and drink lots of water!

Travel tip: in winter the parking lot for the trailhead is closed, so you’ll need to start the hike from the Sunset Point parking lot. 

Enjoy a scenic drive to Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point

Next, enjoy a 30+ minute driving tour to Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point, which are the highest points in Bryce Canyon National Park!

The main road in Bryce Canyon is 18 miles long, and the last 15 miles are known as the Southern Scenic Drive. This is what you will be driving! This stunning auto tour will take you up past 9,000 feet to the highest point in the national park. Along the way you’ll pass by 9 scenic overlooks, which are all fantastic spots to stop and take in the views. Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point can be found at the literal end of the road, and can be accessed by a very short stroll from the parking lot. There are bathrooms here, as well. A map showing the locations of both points can be found here.

Travel tip: This area is sometimes inaccessible in winter and spring due to the possibility of heavy snow at high elevation.

Hike the Bristlecone Loop Trail

If you have some energy left, I recommend hiking the easy 1 mile Bristlecone Loop Trail, which leaves from the Rainbow Point parking lot. On clear days hikers can see over 100 miles into the distance. However, the real highlight of this trial are the bristlecone pines. Fun fact: these are the longest living non-clonal species on Earth!

The oldest bristlecone pines in Bryce Canyon are around 1,600 years old, but you can find even older bristlecones in the mountains of Nevada and California. They are much harder to access, though, so seeing the bristlecone pines in Bryce Canyon is a unique and special opportunity. Please protect their home by staying on trails and respecting these trees.

Travel tip: This area is sometimes inaccessible in winter and spring due to the possibility of heavy snow at high elevation.

I hope you found this Bryce Canyon National Park 2 day itinerary helpful! Looking for more Mighty Five itineraries? Click here! You can find all of our USA national park guides and itineraries here.